51 years ago in 1972, on August 16th, one of Italy’s most significant archeological finds would occur in the Ionian Sea in Calabria. After an episode that’s had implications that have not yet been completely clarified, two bronze Greek statues dating as far back as the 5th century B.C.E. were found on the seabed at the site of the Porto Forticchio of Riace Marina. Indeed, there were two statues (pic above) that have been resting on the seabed for two millenia; one supposedly lying on his back another lying on it’s side. These are what are now known as the Riace Bronzes as well as “il vecchio” (the old, on the left) and “il giovane” (the young, on the right) and are both on permanent display at the MArRC (Archaeological National Museum of Reggio Calabria).

It is assumed that, originally, these statues were carried on a ship that sank, perhaps in a storm, however no evidence of a ship wreck was ever found leaving its origins shrouded in mystery. Also, how it was found in 1972 is still up for debate despite the popular tale of an amateur scuba diver named Stefano Mariottini that happened to come across these bronze statues on a seabed they were buried in and resting on for thousands of years. It is still unclear whether these statues belonged to a group of other statues and were they actually Greek athletes, heros (such as Agamemnon and Ajax, Mirone and Alcamene, Achilles and Patroclus, Tydeus and Amphiaraus) or deities? Scholars argue that these two statues represent Tydeus and Amphiaraus, two warriors from Aeschylus’ play, Seven Against Thebes, and may have been part of a monumental sculptural composition. Again, unclear. What is very clear is that these two life-size bronze statues of naked, bearded warriors, sculpted with extreme precision are on permanent display at the National Archaeological Museum of Reggio Calabria, where they have become ambassadors for the region’s cultural heritage and Greek identity.

Anatomical details are represented with extreme precision (veins and arteries emerge very clearly) and the musculature radiates strength. The eyes are in white calcite, with iris in glass paste lips, eyelashes, and nipples are made of copper, while the teeth are made of silver paper. Both are produced using the “lost wax casting” technique. As for their chronology, there are two sides—one holds that the warriors are fifth century B.C.E. originals that were created between 460 and 420 B.C.E., while the other holds that the statues were produced later and imitate Early Classical sculpture.

After the discovery of the statues, in the following days municipal divers tied ropes to balloons that were then filled with air lifting the two bronze statues to the surface. Statue B (il giovane) was recovered on August 21st, while Statue A (il vecchio) was retrieved the next day (It had previously fallen back to the bottom once before being brought safely to the beach). Their recovery was carried out with an embarrassing lightness. The discovery itself, however, generated a great deal of excitement and interest. The statues were recovered from the sea and transported to a conservation laboratory for an extensive restoration and preservation that carried out in both Reggio Calabria and Florence.

They are two of the few surviving full-size ancient Greek bronzes (which were usually melted down in later times for coins etc), and as such demonstrate the intricate craftsmanship that were achieved at this time.

I’ve been lucky enough to have visited these impressive bronze statues several times and I highly recommend a visit to the MArRC if you’re planning a trip to Reggio Calabria. The attention to detail of these Greek statues is what impressed me the most. These bronze statues made over 2,000 years ago and left to rest in the Ionian Sea to only reemerge in 1972 in recoverable condition (considering) is a profound testament to us all of the influential hand Calabria has had with the history of Magna Grecia and the creation of modern Italy.